[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12100-S12101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               UTAH SCHOOLS AND LAND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1998

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 574, H.R. 3830.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3830) to provide for the exchange of certain 
     lands within the State of Utah.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I yield to Senator Hatch for 2 minutes, and 
then to Senator Bennett for 2 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise to express my support for this 
legislation to exchange school trust lands located in Utah to the 
federal government. This timely piece of legislation has the full 
support of the Utah delegation, the Governor of Utah, and the Clinton 
administration, as well as the PTA and local educators from across our 
state. It is, in some small measure, the result of the unfortunate 
situation created several years ago when President Clinton created the 
Grand Staircase Escalante Monument that withdrew hundreds of thousands 
of additional Utah school trust lands from benefitting Utah s school 
children. This bill represents the largest land exchange in the history 
of Utah.
  I commend the President for being willing to do this, the Secretary 
of the Interior for being willing to do this, and others on the floor, 
including my colleague, Senator Bennett, the chairman of the Energy 
Committee, Senator Murkowski, and the distinguished Senator from 
Arkansas, Senator Bumpers. Without their leadership and support, this 
legislation would not have been possible. I want to express that 
appreciation. This is a momentous day for the State of Utah that will 
leave a lasting legacy for our school children.
  This bill passed the House of Representatives in July and was 
approved by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources last 
month. I am pleased the full Senate will consider it today and send it 
to the President.
  I and all the citizens of Utah have looked forward anxiously to this 
day, which has been a long time coming.
  When Utah became a state in 1896, Congress designated a portion of 
each township in the state to be set aside as School Trust Land which 
would be used to generate revenue for Utah's schools. The patchwork 
layout of these school trust lands across the state has historically 
created management difficulties between federal and state governments. 
As new national parks, forests, and monuments are designated, the 
school lands are often enveloped within them. This has the effect of 
closing off development of these lands and, therefore, any revenue they 
might produce for the school land trust fund.
  As of 1995, over 200,000 acres of school trust land, called 
inholdings, were isolated this way. As I mentioned, President Clinton 
doubled this amount with his designation of the Grand Staircase-
Escalante Monument in 1996.
  At the time of the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante 
Monument, President Clinton gave numerous assurances that Utah's school 
children would not be hurt by this designation. H.R. 3830 represents 
the partial fulfillment of these promises.
  The Utah Schools and Lands Exchange Act is the culmination of long 
and careful deliberations between Governor Leavitt and Secretary of the 
Interior Bruce Babbitt. As a result of this thorough and delicate 
planning, the act enjoys broad support from environmentalists, private 
landowners, educators, legislators, and the Administration.
  The bill exchanges approximately 350,000 acres of school trust lands 
located in Utah monuments, recreation areas, national parks, and 
forests to the Federal Government. To provide equitable compensation 
for these lands, Utah will receive cash, lands, mineral rights, coal 
deposits, and other Federal properties. I assure my colleagues that 
this is a fair and equitable exchange of assets.
  The land received by the Federal Government, totaling 376,739 acres 
of

[[Page S12101]]

land and 65,853 acres of mineral rights, includes school trust areas 
that are similar in nature to the surrounding blocks of federal lands. 
By transferring these areas to the federal government, the land will 
fall under federal protection and management.
  Consolidation of these lands will be beneficial because land 
ownership will be harmonized, precious natural resources will be 
preserved and protected, and the American public will gain access to 
previously isolated areas.
  A number of priceless natural landmarks will come under the 
protection of the federal government as a result of this bill. These 
include: Eye of the Whale Arch, located in Arches National Park; 
ancient Native American ruins and the Jacob Hamblin Arch of Glen Canyon 
National Recreation Area; several hundred-foot red rock cliffs located 
within the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument; and the high mountain 
alpine area in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest known as Franklin 
Basin. Other natural wonders safeguarded through the exchange include: 
ancient Native American rock art panels in Dinosaur National Monument 
and unique geologic formations of the Waterpocket Fold within Capitol 
Reef National Park.
  Mr. President, H.R. 3830 addresses many land management problems 
which have plagued Utah for decades. Specifically, this measure helps 
solve a problem suffered by all states, such as Utah, having large 
tracts of federally owned or controlled land --that is, the starvation 
and lack of funding for our school systems which traditionally depend 
on property taxes for funding.
  The trust land system, developed by Congress in the 19th century 
during the period of westward expansion, was an attempt to offset the 
losses from the Federal Government's desire to protect certain lands. 
We are pleased that, after 2 years, the Clinton administration has 
delivered on this commitment.
  I especially want to commend Utah Governor Mike Leavitt for 
undertaking the task of painstaking identification of lands for 
exchange and for conducting these negotiations with the Interior 
Department. His determination and dedication to initiating this process 
cannot be understated.
  I also want to recognize the efforts of Utah's educators, parents, 
and school board members, who kept this issue on the front burner. 
Their dedication to resolving this serious funding helped drive these 
negotiations and ensure that nothing got bogged down. In short, land is 
land; but we needed to keep our eye on the ball, and that is our 
children.
  Again, I want to thank my friend and colleague, Senator Bennett, for 
his efforts on this bill. I know he shares my feeling of joy that this 
bill is finally coming to fruition. It means a great deal to improving 
education in our State, and I appreciate my colleagues' support.
  I yield to my colleague.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Utah.
  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, thank you.
  This is a delightful day. As I think about the issue of swapping 
land, school trust lands in Utah for other Federal lands, I realize 
that this is an issue that my father worked on in this Chamber over 40 
years ago. Governor Matheson, to keep it bipartisan, the Democratic 
Governor of Utah, tried an initiative on this same issue while he was 
the Governor some 20 years ago. To see it finally come to fruition now 
brings me a great sense of satisfaction.
  I thank my senior colleague for his support and leadership on this 
issue, I thank the members of the Energy Committee for their work, and 
I particularly thank my friend from Arkansas, the senior Senator, Mr. 
Bumpers, for his support as we have gone through this. He and I became 
acquainted when I first came to the Senate and went on that committee. 
We worked on a number of issues together, and I am delighted that this 
is one that comes together in a bipartisan fashion.
  So this is a time of rejoicing, nostalgia, and great pleasure on my 
part.
  Mr. BUMPERS addressed the Chair.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I believe I still have the time. If the 
Senator from Arkansas would like a couple of minutes, I would be glad 
to yield to him for a comment.
  Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, there are few Senators in the U.S. Senate 
for whom I have ever held a higher esteem than my good friend Bob 
Bennett. Therefore, several months ago, when I put a hold on this Utah 
land exchange, which was divinely desired by the Governor and the 
Interior Department, which is a rare instance--would that all land 
exchanges had this kind of support--I went to Senator Bennett and I 
told him privately--and he will agree to this--I told him privately, 
``Bob, if push comes to shove''--I am not going to go into the details 
of why I put a hold on it. We all do these things around here 
occasionally. I never liked it, but sometimes we have to do things to 
protect ourselves.
  I told Senator Bennett privately, ``At the right time, I will take my 
hold off this bill.'' I said, ``I want you to know I would never allow 
something this popular and well received to go down and''----
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator suspend?
  The Chamber will come to order. The Senate will come to order.
  The Senator from Arkansas.
  Mr. BUMPERS. I must say, his determination--his fierce 
determination--to get this bill passed was reflected in the fact that 
he asked me every day for 6 months when I was going to take my hold 
off. This morning, I was very happy to tell him that my reason for 
putting the hold on in the first place had been resolved. One of the 
happiest days of my life was the day I could take that hold off to 
accommodate the Senator and Senator Hatch. I know he has been actively 
involved in this also.
  I just wanted to say that, Mr. President. I thank the leader very 
much for yielding the time.
  Mr. LOTT. Has the clerk reported the title?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk has reported.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table without intervening action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 3830) was considered read the third time and passed.

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